portland photographer

Portland Oregon Lifestyle Photographer - welcome to the world, baby Marcus!

At-home “lifestyle” sessions are my favorite way to photograph families with little ones. When I go to a client’s home, they have everything they need right there (diapers, change of clothes, snacks, etc.). They don’t have to worry about forgetting anything or plan for the unexpected. Toddlers and small children are usually apprehensive about a stranger photographing them, but being in their own home makes them feel FAR more comfortable. By the end of the session, they’re usually showing me their toys and telling me funny stories about their pets. Plus, it’s just so much easier for me (a woman whose children are all adults now) to hop in my car and drive to the client!

I do very little posing with lifestyle sessions. I may say, “everyone sit over there.” or “Let’s put the baby here.” Beyond that, though, I just let everyone do what they want…especially babies and toddlers! THEY ARE IN CHARGE! This cuts down on the stress of trying to get that “perfect” family photo and results in shots that are way more authentic.

I’ve been to Ashley and Alina’s house a few times now and in addition to getting to see their adorable family, I get to see the changes they’ve made to their first home! They’ve done quite a few DIY projects and they look SO good!

Salem Oregon Senior Portrait Photographer - b&w sneak peek from a session at Silver Falls!

I can’t believe I’m already booking senior portrait sessions for the class of 2023, when I haven’t even blogged all of my ‘22 seniors yet! Anyway, here are some black & white shots from Dalaney’s senior portrait session from Silver Falls last year. I can’t wait to share the rest (soon)!

Salem Oregon Family Photographer - I've been photographing this family for over a decade!

I know I always say this about my clients, but I am often blown away at how much the kids have grown! Some families, like this one, have been in front of my camera for over a decade! When I met this group, the youngest was not even a year old, the middle kid was in pre-school, and the oldest was a first grader. They’re now in middle school, high school, and college! Yes, I have kids the same ages , but for some reason it always surprises me more to see how fast OTHER kids grow. They’ve been doing this for so long that we are usually done with photos in less than 10 minutes!

Milwaukie Oregon Family Photographer - adorable extended family session!

I have been photographing Ashley and Alina (aka Ashlina) for years now and we always have a good time. Ashley’s sister joined us this past fall, along with her husband and daughter (yay for cousins!). It was freezing cold and the park we’d planned to use for the session was unexpectedly closed, but we managed to get some great shots in a random little grassy area nearby. I’m loving the fall goodness of these photos, from the orange leaves to the jewel tones, to the little red baby nose!

As usual, I’m about a year behind on blogging, so we have already scheduled their mini session for this year.!

Salem Oregon Senior Photographer - Emily, Class of 2021

Emily was so much fun to work with! I hadn’t seen her since she was in elementary school (her older sister was classmates with my oldest son and they did some extracurriculars together), so I was a bit taken aback at how grown up she was. This adorable senior brought some great outfits (and shoes) to her session, which we did this past June. Although these photos are not yearbook candidates (the deadline was long past), she wanted to do some last minute portraits, to document her upcoming graduation. We met up at my studio and walked around to nearby locations, including Riverfront park, an empty dock, the new pedestrian bridge, Minto Brown Park, and of course, downtown. For the last few shots, we took a short drive over to Deepwood Museum & Gardens, which never disappoints.

Hood River Adventure - me, me, me

These were taken over a year ago now…literally days before the world shut down, due to Covid-19. As you can tell from my smile, I was blissfully unaware of what the next 15 months would hold. Anyway, my friend River took all of these and I love them a ridiculous amount. I don’t even care if it’s vain to say that. We had fun, we laughed our asses off, and I look good.

Salem Family Photographer - mini session at For the Love of Pete

You may recognize some of these faces, as I have photographed Porshe on many occasions (modeling, boudoir, family, birth) and even photographed Porshe & Jeremy’s hospital elopement a couple of years ago! Anyway, we met up with “the whole fam dam,” as Porshe calls them (her family, plus her parents and her brother). We met up at For the Love of Pete, which is a party supply rental place here in Salem. We had rented their holiday set to do indoor photos, but I love the outdoor shots more!

Salem Family Portrait Photographer - fall mini session with family of seven!

In case you missed it, Amanda and Keegan did an engagement session with me a few weeks prior to this family session (click HERE to view that blog post). Sure, they could have booked one mini session for both family and engagement photos, but 1. They’d get very few of each….and 2. Can you imagine trying to do romantic engagement photos with FIVE kids running around?! HA! Anyway, I had a good time photographing this blended family, just months before they made it official (i.e. when Mom and Dad got married).